Dilemmas of Development

each other until they finally merge at Allahabad. The Doab region was one of the mostfertile regions of Northern IndiaThe English East India Company acquired control over this region in 1801 and whatfollowed thereafter was a series of blows to the sensitive ecological system of theDoab. There was a thick forest belt between Bulandshahr and Kanpur, incorporatingthe districts of Aligarh, Etah, Mainpuri and Kanpur, at the beginning of the 19th century.The predominant tree species of this region was the dhak butea monosperma, more popularly known as the Flame of the Forest. Since the soil here was rather saline,the only vegetation that could survive and thrive was the dhak tree. But the newconquerors decided to bring these areas under cash crop cultivation indigo, cottonand sugarcane. Besides the revenue incentive for bringing the land under the plough, anadditional argument advanced was that the clearing of the forests would help to controlcrime. In this part of northern India there were several bands of dacoits who werebelieved to be seeking refuge in these jungles. By the 1840s, a substantial portion of thedhak jungle had disappeared and by the 1880s there were hardly any trees left outsidethe properties of the large landlord.What happened to this region when these forests were cut down? Climatic changesbegan to occur. By the 1840s there was a visible rise in temperature and the intensity ofthe loo or hot wind that blew in the summers increased. It loosened the surface of thenow unprotected soil which was then washed away in the monsoon rains. The subsoillost its water retaining capacity and ponds and lakes began to dry up. All this led to thesevere drought of 1837-38, which came as the climax of a succession of dry years. Thenumber of cases of malaria increased dramatically due to the stagnant water in driedout riverbeds and lakes.With the disappearance of the dhak tree, the soil also became more saline and in duecourse of time, the fields became less and less productive. By the 1820s, this processhad gone so far that entire villages had to be abandoned. Moreover, due to intensivecultivation, which left little time for fallow periods, the productive capacity of the soilwas also greatly reduced.The Doab story, thus, is one of causing ecological damage to fulfil the needs ofdevelopment. But very soon, development was itself the victim of this assault on natureand agricultural productivity, which far from being increased, was actually reduced. Asa result the whole policy for this region had to be reviewed.

31.10

THE COMING OF THE RAILWAYS

The modern world is generally associated with faster and more efficient means oftransport like steam navigation and the railways. From the 1840s an ever-expandingnetwork of railway lines began to criss-cross the European continent and shortly thereafterspread to those parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, which were in the hands of theimperialist powers. In India it has been estimated that the total length of rail track increasedfrom about 5,000 kilometers in 1870 to 20,000 kilometers in 1890 and thereafter, inevery decade, about 10,000 kilometers of rail track were being laid. Railways were anextremely effective means of maintaining administrative control over far-flung and hithertoinaccessible areas. They also helped to transport raw materials and finished productsfrom the rural hinterlands to the ports with greater ease.

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The sight of a steam engine hurtling down the countryside was awe-inspiring andmagnificent. It came to be associated with the might of empire and technologicaladvancement. But what implications did the coming of the railways have for the naturalenvironment? Railway tracks are usually laid on beams of wood, which are called